Wind power is considered one of the cleanest, most environmentally friendly energy sources presently available, and wind turbines have gained increased attention in this regard. A modern wind turbine typically includes a tower, generator, gearbox, nacelle, rotor hub and one or more rotor blades. The rotor blades capture kinetic energy of the wind using known airfoil principles. The rotor blades transmit the kinetic energy in the form of rotational energy to turn a shaft coupling the rotor blades to a gearbox, or if a gearbox is not used, directly to the generator. The generator then converts the mechanical energy to electrical energy that may be deployed to a utility grid.
When operating a wind turbine, it is often desirable to be able to accurately identify the specific components installed within the wind turbine to ensure both that the wind turbine is operated efficiently and effectively and that the various wind turbine components are properly maintained. However, current wind turbine systems do not provide an effective means for tracking the specific components installed within a wind turbine, particularly when one or more of the wind turbine components have been replaced during service/maintenance operations or when upgrading the wind turbine.
Accordingly, an improved system and method for identifying the components installed within a wind turbine and for automatically updating the wind turbine's data based on such component identifications would be welcomed in the technology.